Agricultural News
Smaller Cattle Numbers Certain to be Seen in Upcoming Cattle Inventory Report
Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:32:57 CST
Beef Cattle production in the United States has been undergoing a structural change for several decades now- and the next USDA Cattle Inventory report to be released at the end of this month will likely show the trend to a smaller US herd has continued this past year.
Dr. James Mintert of Purdue University spend some time with Oklahoma Farm Burea's Sam Knipp during the 2012 American Farm Bureau Convention- and we have some of his thoughts on the smaller and smaller US beef cow herd- and what that means to the infrastrucuture of the beef business from ranch to plate.
Dr. Mintert says the only debate surrounding the inventory report is the extent of the decline in cattle and calf numbers. He's anticipating a two-percent drop. In January a year ago, USDA pegged the nation's cattle herd at 92.6-million head - the smallest in 53 years. According to Mintert - drought isn't the only reason herd liquidation is occurring. He notes that cow slaughter actually shifted into a higher gear six years ago in response to dramatically higher feed costs.
Mintert's comments about this downsizing are featured on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the listen bar below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...